Contract Variety Testing

The Williston Research Extension Center conducts small plot testing of many crops. The information gathered from these trials helps local producers compare new varieties to older ones with well established growth and yield characteristics.

On behalf of the North Dakota State University Agricultural Experiment Station, the Williston Research Extension Center (WREC) would like to extend an invitation to seed companies or their representative to submit entries into our crop performance tests for 2018.

Variety testing contracts are available for canola, corn, small grains, soybeans, and sunflowers. Varieties will be tested on dryland at Williston, irrigated land at Nesson Valley, or both, using small plot techniques. The trials will be managed with the best management practices for our location with conventional herbicide strategies. North Dakota registered insecticide and fungicide treatments are allowed if the seed is marketed with these treatments applied to them. Please note that no additional seed treatments will be applied after it arrives at the WREC. Please provide germination percent. If not listed we will use a 90% germination rate to calculate seeding rate.

Results from these performance tests are published in the Williston Research Extension Center’s annual report in late December and are available on our website: http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/WillistonREC/ as well as https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/varietytrials. The data will also be published in the annual NDSU Variety Trial Results and Selection Guides for their respective crop. Data from the North Dakota State University Agricultural Experiment Station trials shall not be used in advertising to indicate North Dakota Experiment Station recommendation of any specific variety. Data from experimental lines will not be published in NDSU Extension Service bulletins. Please specify in the box provided if a line is experimental or commercially available. Data from commercially available varieties will be published in the Extension bulletin at the discretion of the NDSU Extension Agronomist.

The charge for variety testing is $250 per entry per site. Contact the WREC for details regarding the charge for exclusive advanced or screening trials. There will be no refunds in the event of a natural disaster such as hail or frost. We reserve the right to limit the number of entries by any one seed company. If a cultivar was tested last year as an experimental, please inform us of the past experimental designation.

The contract entry form deadline is March 23, with seed due no later than March 31 for inclusion into these trials. Late entries will be accepted, however trials will be planted at the optimal date regardless. Late entries will be accepted upon a case by case basis.

Once entries have been planted an invoice will be emailed to you or mailed if requested.